The ducklings are almost all grown up now.  They are still very sweet and not afraid of me at all, though they are not keen on being picked up and cuddled (their little legs go ten to a dozen and they hysterically shout for their mother, who has pretty much given up being protective of them when I’m around).

The ducklings like to try out everything and I found the little girl sitting in the drinking water bowl.  It’s a case of if it fits, I sits.  I laughed.

And it’s definitely a girl and a boy. I am almost 100% certain.  One is bigger, larger legs and is more masculine in shape.

And, when I am doing evening chores, I am diligently followed around. Nowhere is safe.  This is my porch to the house where I went to change into wellies before getting on with the evening work.

It is lovely to have such an enthusiastic fan club.  Sadly, I know it is not because anyone loves me but because I open the food buckets and distribute food twice a day.

Cupboard love  – affection that is feigned in order to obtain something.

And Monster has left the ducklings well alone which is kind of him and possibly sensible too.  My money would still be on Mother Duck even if she’s given up hating me.

When I was doing the sheep count, I lost Lambie. He had snuck out of his field, going under at least two fences, to spend time by himself.  I think it was the flies and midges.  It has been very still today and he hates weather like this.

The others were lying like beached whales in their field. I did ask them if they wanted to come in, but they all refused to move so I left them, hoping that Lambie wouldn’t mind his solitude.

He said he didn’t.  I think there was a nice through draught going down the side of the shed as well as the cooling shade.

We had a little chat and Lambie seemed fine with his decision.  The others will come home later tonight, when the sun sets and then he won’t be alone anymore.

There was no point trying to get Lambie to rejoin his friends.  He didn’t want to move.  Sometimes a chap likes his own company.

Meanwhile, Pepper has started her new physio regime.  Last night, I wrapped my TMJ heated wrap around her shoulders for heat treatment and it was a good fit for her.

She was very happy with this, never fussing and, when we are in my shed, she can have this on a regular basis.  I hope it helps her.

It’s been a grotty day for poor little Pepper.

Today was the day she went to the vets for light sedation and an -xray of her poorly front leg (which is mostly absolutely fine these days).

We shared the driving and OH took her in, nil by mouth since midnight, and I collected her 7 hours later.

My day was horrible – it felt very empty and meaningless. We’ve all missed Pepper’s smiley little face hugely.   I carried my phone everywhere with me just in case and, having heard nothing, phoned early afternoon to be told Pepper would ready to collect at 16.15.

I went to get her home, seeing the vet as well who said they found nothing, absolutely ruddy nothing on the x-ray.  They even x-rayed the other leg to see if it was any different.  So, the diagnosis is a possible soft tissue injury that will take forever to heal and Pepper is on lead-only walks, with no running, on flat ground for 6 weeks with regular analgesia with a view to sedating her if she doesn’t take kindly to this new regime.  For the time being we will hold off on the sedation front. I am not a huge fan but nothing is written in stone.  If Pepper is climbing off the ceiling, then we will see…….

Anyway, Pepper is pleased to be home now and I suppose we can work on our non-existent lead skills for the next six weeks.

I wanted a quiet morning working in my shed typing out a journal for a friend.  Well, that was the plan anyway.

And then Monster arrived, whined and scratched at the door to be let in so, as my desk was rather full of monitors, scanner, cd-player, etc, I dug out my piano stool and plonked him on it.

Apparently that wasn’t good enough and Monster wandered around my desk for a while getting in the way and being annoying.  There wasn’t room for everything.

Eventually, I made a space behind my main laptop and told him to “jolly well go and sit there” – that’s the polite version!

Pepper, annoyed with all the attention Monster was receiving, then put herself on the piano stool and wobbled for a while.  It rotates very easily. She didn’t like that.

So she clambered onto my lap and at that stage, all work stopped.  I had no chance of trying to type, scan or read anything.

Eventually, I shifted Pepper back to her chaise longue telling her I was going to work until 12 and then we would go for our cat/dog/whoever-walk.

I went back to my work surrounded by animals and I felt a bit watched.

Honestly, it’s a wonder I got anything done – I managed ten pages in two hours, which was a good chunk into this journal. And yes, Monster came part of the way on the dog walk whingeing all the way.

A few photos from last night and today.

Ever feel you are being watched…… like, all the time?

Dear old Bibble still maintaining his Bibbleness.  A job is a job.  Someone has to be Bibble.

This afternoon, after all my hard work – packing veg, stripping and trimming garlic, making felted sheep, poo-picking the track, I thought I deserved a treat so I sat down on a rock in the sheep’s field.

Maggie came up to talk.

When I think of Maggie being a miserable thin hill but pregnant sheep and now she is full of character and looking very well.  Dear Maggie.  How her life has changed.

Barrel (L) and Gussie are about the same size now.  Gussie is probably bigger and a bit of a galumphing galoot.  He can’t work out if he is wild or very tame.  It depends on the day.  Barrel is tame when he wants something.  They were busy watching my neighbour’s tractor at work.  They were hypnotised by the action.

I left their field to come inside to write this blog.  Monster was happily relaxing on the table that lives outside our house while OH was mucking out his van.

I was talking to Monster, when Pepper jumped on the table too and I could see that Monster was cross with Pepper for getting in his way and stealing the attention so he grabbed her leg fully intending to bite it.  I could see him hatching his cunning plan.

So I told Pepper to “Sit” and for once she did and wagged her tail in Monster’s face instead.

I quickly took this sweet family portrait before Monster left in a huff and Pepper jumped down to go inside with me.  Funny little furry family.